Baseball cards have long been a popular collectible, chronicling the history of America’s pastime. While some fans enjoy assembling full sets or starting their own collections, others view cards as lucrative investments that can appreciate significantly in value over time. Unsurprisingly, some of the most coveted and expensive cards ever produced have exchanged hands on the world’s largest online auction site – eBay. Here are some of the top baseball cards that have been sold through eBay auctions in recent years.
One of the all-time most expensive baseball cards is the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 8. This coveted rookie card of Yankee legend Mickey Mantle sold for an astounding $2.88 million on eBay in January 2021. The card received a PSA 8 grade, indicating excellent condition with slight wear. What makes this card so valuable is its rarity from the very first Topps baseball card set issued in 1952, at the height of Mantle’s playing career. He would go on to be considered one of the greatest switch hitters and all-around players in MLB history.
In second place is a 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner baseball card that was purchased through eBay for $3.12 million in August 2016. The “Holy Grail” of baseball cards, the ultra-rare Wagner has a storied history attributed to its subject’s alleged reluctance to endorse tobacco products, leading to a very small original print run. This example sold received a PSA Authentic grade of EX-MT 8, indicating superb quality for a 100+ year old card. It became the highest price ever achieved for any sports memorabilia auctioned anywhere at the time.
A few other remarkably high eBay sales include a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth card that went for $1.26 million in January 2020. In gem mint condition with a PSA MINT 9 grade, it set a new record as the costliest Goudey Ruth card. Another impressive sale was a 1998 SP Authentic (#138) Kobe Bryant rookie jersey card which achieved $861,140 in a bidding war in July 2021. This ultra-rare pull from a premium NBA product shot Bryant to stardom and is one of his most iconic rookie cards ever made.
The #1 pick of the 1987 MLB draft, a Ken Griffey Jr. Upper Deck rookie card ungraded sold for $387,920 in June 2020. Widely considered one of the most visually appealing and well-known cards in the modern era, Griffey’s sweet swing and electrifying play made him a fan favorite. His Upper Deck rookie has long been the most expensive card from that coveted inaugural sports trading card set.
Many prized vintage cards have also changed hands for six-figure sums or more on eBay. A 1909-11 T206 Walter Johnson card graded PSA 1.5 pulled in $237,937 in February 2022. A rare 1914 Cracker Jack Honus Wagner graded PSA 2.5 was auctioned off for $156,000 in May 2018. And a 1910 E90-1 Joe Jackson card rated PSA 4.5 sold for $110,400 in April 2022. Each of these antiquated pieces of cardboard history provided invaluable glimpses into the early 20th century game.
Modern rookies have generated substantial eBay marketplace interest as well. A 2018 Bowman Chrome Ronald Acuña Jr. PSA 10 pop 1 gem mint rookie autograph shattered records bringing $350,100 from a December 2020 auction. A 2009 Bowman Chrome Mike Trout rookie jersey card Authentic Signatures #44 graded BGS 9.5 also commanded $227,277 this past May 2022. Both Acuña and Trout rapidly ascended to become new faces of baseball, and their impeccable rookie memorabilia reflect their future Hall of Fame caliber talents.
When it comes to vintage cards, condition is absolutely paramount in determining value. The rarest examples in pristine grades often sell for over six figures, sometimes well over, as collectors seek the finest quality representations of certain hallowed players from baseball’s early decades. For modern rookies, a balance of on-field production, card scarcity, and aesthetically pleasing design elements all factor into setting the market price on a card-by-card basis. As technology progresses and more money flows into collecting as an investment, the ceiling is raised continuously for the iconic pieces of paper chronicles stars of the national pastime. eBay stands at the forefront for facilitating these record-setting transactions among specialists seeking their Holy Grails.
